Kohli lost for words as India makes winning start

MELBOURNE: Virat Kohli was lost for words as his unbeaten 82 took India to a stunning last-ball win against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup on Sunday.

India looked down and out at 45-4 halfway through their pursuit of arch-rival Pakistan´s 159-8 with 90,000 spectators working themselves into a frenzy in an incredible atmosphere at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

But Kohli, with 82 off 53 balls and Hardik Pandya, who scored 40 off 37, launched an incredible fightback with a century stand.

India still needed 60 off the last five overs, which was reduced to an unlikely 28 with only eight balls remaining.

Kohli then bludgeoned two towering sixes off Haris Rauf to leave India needing 16 off the final over from a nervous Mohammad Nawaz, who peppered it with wides and no-balls to help them to their target.

“It’s a surreal atmosphere, I have no words, no idea how that happened,” said Kohli, back to his rampant best after a lean couple of years.

“I am really lost for words. Hardik believed we can do it, if we stayed till the end.”

India captain Rohit Sharma, who was out for just four, was full of praise for Kohli and Pandya’s stand and admitted he had thought at one stage: “We were in no position to win this.”

“Those two guys are experienced. Staying calm and taking the game deep was very critical. Good for our confidence,” he said.

A deflated Pakistan captain Babar Azam paid tribute to Kohli.

There was no let-up in the ear-splitting noise right to the breathless final over which included Kohli hitting a six off a no-ball, then running three byes after being bowled off a free hit.

A wide and some scrambled runs left Kohli at the non-striker’s end with two needed off two balls.

“As good a game as I can remember seeing in T20 cricket .. Both teams bring so much .. 90 thousand at the G .. UNBELIEVABLE,” tweeted former England captain Michael Vaughan.

India betting legend Sachin Tendulkar wrote on social media: “@imVkohli, it was undoubtedly the best innings of your life. It was a treat to watch you play, the six off the back foot in the 19th over against Rauf over long on was spectacular!”

Score Board

India won the toss

Pakistan Innings

Rizwan c Kumar b Singh 4

Azam lbw Singh 0

Masood not out 52

Ahmed lbw Shami 51

Khan c Yadav b Pandya 5

Ali c Yadav b Pandya 2

Nawaz c Karthik b Pandya 9

Ali c Karthik b Singh 2

Afridi c and b Kumar 16

Rauf not out 6

Extras: (b2, lb4, w6) 12

Total: (8 wickets, 20 overs) 159

Did not bat: Naseem Shah

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Azam), 2-15 (Rizwan), 3-91 (Ahmed), 4-96 (Khan), 5-98 (H. Ali), 6-115 (Nawaz), 7-120 (A. Ali), 8-151 (Afridi)

Bowling: Kumar 4-0-22-1 (3w), Singh 4-0-32-3 (1w), Shami 4-0-25-1 (1w), Pandya 4-0-30-3, Ashwin 3-0-23-0 (1w), Patel 1-0-21-0

India Innings

Rahul b Shah 4

Sharma c Ahmed c Rauf 4

Kohli not out 82

Yadav c Rizwan b Rauf 15

Patel run out 2

Pandya c Azam b Nawaz 40

Karthik st Rizwan b Nawaz 1

Ashwin not out 1

Extras: (nb1, w6, b3, lb1) 11

Total: (6 wickets, 20 overs) 160

Did not bat: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Rahul), 2-10 (Sharma), 3-26 (Yadav), 4-31 (Patel), 5-144 (Pandya), 6-158 (Karthik)

Bowling: Afridi 4-0-34-0 (w2), Shah 4-0-23-1, Rauf 4-0-36-2 (w2), Khan 4-0-21-0, Nawaz 4-0-42-2 (2w, 1nb)

Result: India won by four wickets

Man of the match: Viral Kohli

Umpires: Marais Erasmus, Rod Tucker